Tamehana's Cause.

New Zealand Illustrated Magazine, Volume III, 1 October 1900, Page 54

Tamehana' s Cause.

By J. Wtldb

Illustrated by Kennett Watkins.

" 4^Kn^B^^ cause is just," said Tame- J III™! hana - " [ will not yield; ' i jfflWfl r " But " said ttie missioiiary ' iffij^^ " that will mean fighting and • ""^ bloodshed, 0 Tamehana! and I thought you a Christian." " And because I am a Christian, shall I suffer oppression and wrong ; shall I see my people robbed of all their land ?" "Better that, Tamehana, than bloodshed ; better be landless and poor than take pi-ecious human lives." " Nay ! thou hast taught me that right is stronger than death ; thou hast taught me that it is better to die for the right than live for the wrong." " It is not right to slay, Tamehana." " It is not right that the pakeha should take my land ; the land of my tribe." "But they offer you money. They do not take, they buy." "Money! 0 Priest! and thou knowest what money will give us— drunkenness and tobacco and tawdry clothes. Tell me, wilt thou give up the great river flats which thou holdest?" " But there is no question of that ; I bought the land." " Bought it, pakeha tolmnga ! Bought it ! I gave it thee as a man of God, as a teacher of my people." " I paid for it !" "A few fish hooks and tomahawks — a whaleboat, for fifty thousand acres of river land!" "You did not ask for more!" " Nay ! a Maori chief can give !" " The soldiers will come, Tamehana ; they are already marching up the coast. Your people committed a grave crime in driving off the surveyors."

" Thou liest, pakelia ; it was no crime !

Had L let the men cut the boundary lines the line would have gone !" " Accept the terms, Tamehana. Think of the suffering, the destruction ; think of the little children and the young maidens whom I baptised !" "The pakeha soldiers do not war with women and children, nor with maidens, save with other weapons than the sword." " But they will be crowded in the pa, and the cannon shot and the rifle shot — " "Listen! man of many words, thou talkest much about bloodshed ; thou urgest me to yield and give. Here is a way of escape. Give up to my people all the land that thou holdest, that thou bought, that thou paid for, and T will let the surveyors come, and will meet the commissioners !" " That is a foolish speech, Tamehana, the speech of a savage. Why should I simply throw away the land ; it could do no good ? You could not hold it ; it would fall into the hands of greedy speculators— it would !" "That is enough, 0 Priest! I have asked thee to give but the price of a few tomahawks, a whaleboat, to save bloodshed, and thou refusest. Now go ! Go quickly !" And the missionary went, muttering: " unreasonable— foolishness — Maori ignorance." * # # # The old cattle bell in the pa rang for evening prayers. The missionary heard it as he rode away, and felt an impulse to 1 return, but spurred onwards. Tamehana heard it, where he squatted knees under chin, and was temped to curse it in his anger against pakehas and their - ways. But there came with his heathen • superstition the knowledge that the pakeha f prayers were wonderful, and the pakeha God stronger than all the gods of his people, ! and he muttered again : "My cause is just."

Then he went into the Wharepuni, and heard the pakeha hymns go up to the rafters and the carved panels that told the stories of his ancestors. Hipi,with the sweet tenor, sang : "Soldiers of Christ arise." Mane took the second line : " And put your armour on — " Huia rolled out in deep tones : " Strong in the strength which God supplies — " And all the people joined in at " Through his eternal Son." After the singing, Tamehana addressed his people, and his sermon took the form of that which was next his heart. "The Bible and the missionaries tell us if we do wrong evil will come of it." He turned the theme this way and that,

after the Maori fashion, with strong comparisons and pioturosque metaphors, until ho convinced himself and his hearers that only one way was possible, Then after prayers, the Council sat and discussed matters of palisades and tronoho.s, of rifles and ammunition.

Before a week was over, tho pakeha soldiers summoned Tamohauu to surrender himself a prisoner, and to answer before pakeha judges for the crime of driving off the surveyors and burning their pegs. Tamehana's reply was very brief. " My cause is just, and I will give up nothing." So the firing commenced, and a few men were killed on both sides. Then tho cannon, which had been dragged over miles of track less hills and swamps, arrived. And the round shot splintered tho palisades, and a breach was made, which tho rod coats tried to storm, but were driven back. And the next day was the Sabbath, and Tarnehuna commanded it should be kept according to the Christian teachings. So instead of repairing the breach, the occupants of the pa gathered to worship. And whilst they were at prayers the pakeha soldiers dashed through the breach and tho pa

was taken

Tamehana fought like a hero, until a bayonet thrust laid him low. He saw his people fleeing for their lives, then he murmured : "My cause is just, pakeha — " but speech was choked with

the blood iv his throat ;

he made one grand ges--lAMEHANA FOUGHT LIKE A HKKO, UNTIL A BAYONET THRUST LAID HtAl LOW. ture of despair and dfcdi